I love the State Wrestling Tournament. I love watching young competitors put it all on the line to achieve more than anyone expects, to lift up their respective teams, to prove something either to themselves or to others. Wrestling exemplifies hard work, sacrifice, commitment, and tenacity. The KHSAA has apparently committed to dishonoring all of these virtues. The format for the finals was ghastly. It took twice as long as it should have (the opposite of what was intended), the highlight wasn't on the finalists, the medal ceremony for each weight occurred moments after one of the soon-to-be podium dwellers lost his final match of the season. There was no time for athletes to collect themselves before being called to stand in front of the entire crowd. Champions had no time to hug their parents or savor the spotlight. This structure was the ANTITHESIS of what a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP should be.
Now, with that said, Dallas Ochsenbein's duck under in the finals made all the KHSAA bull crap worth it. I want to relive that moment over and over again.